Hands Up for Trad Community Music Award Nominee 2018: The Fridays

The aim of the Hands Up for Trad Community Music awards is to showcase and celebrate the outstanding practice and great things going on in Scotland’s community music sector to the wider public and media.

Congratulations to The Fridays – a musicALL project who have been nominated in the Community Music Organisation of the Year category. Vote for them here! We asked musicALL the following questions.

Tell us more about yourself.
musicALL is an inclusive music charity with a vision of ensuring children and young people, regardless of ability, have access to opportunities that enable them to enjoy their rights and fulfil their potential. musicALL aims to brings together people with and without disabilities to break down barriers of prejudice and discrimination, to share high quality experiences and to learn from one another through jointly creating and performing music. Initiated in 2013 (established as a charity in 2016), the organisation currently works with around 75 young people and adults with a disability on a regular basis. musicALL has a number of objectives which span a range of different activities. The key priorities are:

To increase the availability of high quality music opportunities, including performance, for young people who require additional support for learning (ASL) equal to those of their mainstream peers.

To bring young people from the ASL and mainstream sectors of education together to build relationships through the joy and fun of making music

To offer transition to a positive work (of choice) destination after leaving school

The key benefits for young people include: increased confidence and self-esteem, increased language and communication; young people learning an instrument and performing publicly and becoming role models; young people with and without additional support for learning needs actively mixing together and forming friendships through music.

For teachers and tutors musicALL creates a mutual learning experience for tutors and young people; enables teachers to see young people regularly surpass expectation; requires tutors to think out of the box and be creative and innovative; creates an energetic and exhilarating environment to work in.

Finally, for parents and carers musicALL helps them to see their child or young person belong to something that they love doing and is age and culturally appropriate; have meaning and purpose in their lives; perform regularly in different venues; have a schedule of rehearsals and gigs; have their talents recognised and developed; be valued by society.

How long have you or your group organisation been involved in this work and tell us a wee bit about how it all started?
The work has been developing for the last 6 years and musicALL became a charity in March 2016.
It began because of the amazing musical ability of two young men both of whom face immense challenges in life. They, together with 3 tutors formed a rock band to create a platform for their talent, others joined the band and the rest is history!

What have you or your group/organisation got planned for the next 12 months?
The Fridays are busking in Central Station, holding a concert in Scottish Youth Theatre for Schools, performing at The Merchant City Festival and then beginning a project writing new material to perform at Celtic Connection 2019. They will also be working with a number of mainstream and additional support needs schools over the next 12 months.

What has been the highlight of your or your group/organisation’s experience to date?
One of the highlights has been The Fridays 2017 and 2018 sellout performances at Celtic Connections.

Performing at The Dumfries and Galloway Arts festival 2017 and receiving a Highly Commended Award at the 2017 Scottish Commission for Learning Disability Award Ceremony.

How does it feel to be nominated for this award?
Wonderful and very exciting!!